A recent survey by the Merdeka Centre in Malaysia has revealed that almost two-thirds of Malaysians view the People’s Republic of China (PRC) positively, with a significant improvement in perceptions among ethnic Malays.

The study found that positive feelings towards the PRC among ethnic Malays surged from just 28% in 2022 to a full 73% in 2024 reported malaymail. Overall too, numbers were up with 77% of respondents expressing positive sentiments about China, a significant increase from 39% two years ago. This can likely be attributed to feelings associated with the COVID-19 pandemic having originated in China and 7mn around the world dying as a result, including over 37,000 in Malaysia now fading.

In addition to the general upswing, 84% of participants believe Malaysia-China relations are improving, compared to 70% in 2022.

The Merdeka Centre said in a statement that “62% of respondents believe that China is improving, nearly double the 34% in 2022.”

Ethnic Chinese respondents showed the strongest support for the bilateral relationship at 97%, followed by Muslim Bumiputera (87%), non-Muslim Bumiputera (85%), ethnic Indians (80%), and ethnic Malays (78%).

The survey also noted growing optimism about bilateral cooperation, with just 9% viewing Malaysia-China relations as poor, a sharp decline from 20% in 2022.

When asked about the future direction of Malaysia-China relations, 77% of respondents said the partnership was on the right track, an increase of 13 percentage points compared to 2022.

Public approval of Chinese investments in Malaysia also rose, with 82% of respondents believing these investments greatly benefit the country, up from 70% in 2022. The proportion of those holding pessimistic views dropped sharply from 19% to 9%.

A total of 1,225 respondents aged 18 and above, selected to reflect Malaysia’s ethnic composition, participated in the study. The demographic breakdown included 52% Malay, 29% Chinese, 7% Indian, 6% Muslim Bumiputera, and 6% non-Muslim Bumiputera.